Sign-board.



W. KARPEN.

SIGN BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1914.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

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WILLIAM KAEEEN, 8F BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

SIGN-BOAR Application filed June 3, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, i/ VILLIAM KARrnN, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SignBoards, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to sign boards, display and like devices, and the object there of is to provide an improved device of this class which is particularly designed to serve as a sign board and which involves detachable letters any desired number of which may be employed and whereby any preferred sign may be quickly and easily placed on the board, or the form of a sign changes, and with this and other objects in view the invention consists in a device of the class specified, constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure l is a front view of asign board involving my invention; Fig. 2 a vertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing only a part of the board and showing said part on an enlarged scale; and, Fig. i a perspective View of one of the sign letters or characters that I employ.

In the practice of my invention, I provide a frame a which is preferablv rectangular in form and comprises top and bottom members a side members a and a back or body portion a said back or body portion being set into the frame in the form of a panel and being secured therein by brads or nails 7) in the usual manner, and the sides and top and bottom members of the frame are provided with inwardly directed flanges a between which and the back or body portion a are narrow spaces a in which are secured Patented Mar. 16, 1915,

Serial No. 842,546.

transverse, flexible strips 0, any desired number of which may be employed, and begin-- ning with the second strip from the bottom, the bottom edge of each of said strips is overlapped by the bottom edge of the strip thereunder, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. I also provide a plurality of letter tabs (Z which may be composed of cardboard or any suitable sheet metal material and which are of predetermined length, and the tops of which are provided with downwardly and backwardly folded flange or hook members CF. The letter tabs d are of such length that when the flange or hook member d is passed over the top edge of one of the strips 0 the bottom end of said tab may be passed back of or under the top edge of the second transverse strip thereunder as clearly shown in Fig. l, and when said letter tabs are placed in position they may be moved back and forth, or adjusted transversely of the board and, in practice, any desired sign may be spelled out on the board by means of said letter tabs.

The letter tabs are not necessarily of the length shown whereby said tabs overlap wo of the strips 0, but this length of said tabs is preferred for the reason that it facilitates the manipulation thereof especially when the sign board is a small one, and the strip 0 compaflatively narrow in transverse section.

A sign board made in this manner may be used for various kinds and classes of dis play work as well as for a sign board, and said board and the strips 0 may be made of any preferred material and of any desired dimension, and when the letter tabs d are placed in the desired position they will remain therein and can only be removed by hand.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A sign board provided with transverse flexible strips, the bottom edge of each of said strips being overlapped by the top edge of the strip therebelow, and letter tabs provided at the top thereof with backwardly and downwardly directed hook members my invention I have signed my name in adapted to engage the top edge of one of presence of the subscribing Witnesses this said strips, the lower ends of said letter tabs 1st day of June 1914.

being adapted to be passed beneath the top WILLIAM KARPEN. edge of another of said strips below that Witnesses: Which is engaged by the top thereof. C. MULREANY,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as H. E. Tnonrson.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. 

